"Determininant" or "Indeterminant"? That is the question.A Shakesperean tomato question.
This is the big dividing line for tomatoes.
Determinant tomatoes grow up, set fruit, pump out the tomatters, then give it up. It's time to give the plant the old heave-ho, and put something else in the garden.
Indeterminate tomatoes are the Ever-ready Bunny of the garden, they just keep going and going.
Determinant varieties are Celebrity, Roma and others. Indeterminant are most of the cherry tomatoes, Arkansas Travelers, and many others.
It's not a matter of which is better; it's just understanding what you have.
Here in Texas, you really ought to have your tomatoes in by now. If you plant either variety now, your babies will just come into maturity during the heat of the summer. Fruit doesn't set when it's consistently over 85 degrees. So it's just a battle to survive the summer.
But you Yankee farmers (or Canadians) are blessed. Put in your tomatoes now (or whenever it's frost free in your neighborhood) and reap the benefits!
Personally, I tend to like the indeterminant varieties. Up north you'll pop those tasty cherries all summer long. Down here, I'll get some before the heat, then hopefully in the fall! Last year we ate Arkansas Travelers till Christmas!
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